We wrapped up our last couple of days in Nassau by topping off our provisions, taking advantage of inexpensive internet service, visiting with friends, and treating ourselves to a night of Domino’s Pizza (somehow managing to pass on the goodness of Dairy Queen that shared the same building)! I know, who’d a thought a Domino’s and Dairy Queen combo existed in the Bahamas! Well, we serve a very good God.
On Thursday, Matt woke up at “Chris Parker” time of 6:30 to confirm the forecast for the day. Chris Parker is one of the cruisers’ weather gurus who broadcast on single side band (SSB) radio every morning, Monday through Saturday. So, with the weather confirmed for a cloudy yet benign day ahead, we prepared to set off for Allen’s Cay, about 35 nautical miles away.
The crews of Storyville, Anchor Management and Kaleo had a quick huddle to plan our approaches to getting out of the marina as we expected it to be pretty tricky to maneuver out of the narrow fairways with the increasingly strong current.
Back at our respective boats we said a prayer for smooth exits, then watched as Anchor Management backed out seamlessly. Storyville followed without a hitch and we were next up. We used a stern line to pivot our back end out of the slip and lined up with the exit. We narrowly missed kissing a piling with our bow, then scooted forward inches from the edge of a dock but our prayers were answered as we left safely and unscathed.
Motoring out of Nassau Harbour ,we pointed southeast for Allens Cay and fell in line with at least 10 other sailboats headed in the same direction. We didn’t stay in line for long though as we hoisted Kaleo’s sails and were quickly gliding past many of them at 6+ knots (under sail alone). We’re getting a better understanding of how to trim our sails for the various conditions while navigating to a destination. Most of our sailing on Kaleo in the past had been where ever the wind would take us as opposed to trying to get somewhere specific. We’re learning.
After a beautiful, albeit mostly cloudy, sail the whole way we arrived at the entrance to Allen’s Cay around 3:00 p.m. to find a very crowded anchorage. It took a little jostling and jockeying for position but we found a spot that seemed to work. After dropping the hook (anchor), Matt and our friend Steve from Anchor Management jumped in the dinghy and with snorkel mask ready to peer through the pristine waters to checked to confirm that the anchors had been securely set.
Then, it was off to the beach on Leaf Cay where an endangered species of iguana’s roam. While they are friendly (will come right up to you to be fed), they weren’t blessed with beauty. Upon hearing boat motors the iguanas come out from all corners of the brush to the beach in search of generosity from their visitors. Though signs clearly state “don’t feed the iguanas” and that they could bite, every cruiser on the beach had some form of produce to offer them. A few were quite aggressive and even charged Matt as he made his offering. After our fill of iguana watching (and running from), we wrapped up the evening with a little more dinghy exploring and then hung out aboard Storyville for awhile.
The next morning we decided to stay at Allen’s Cay one more night and took the dinghy a few miles down to Highborne Cay for a beach picnic. While the picnic was a treat, the ride there and back were very very very wet in 1 to 2 foot seas. In Kaleo, that’s no big deal, but in our little dinghy it means we get pounded by every wave and soaked with sea spray. Note to future cruisers: if possible take a dinghy out for a ride on a rough day before you purchase it. We would have reconsidered our dinghy decision based on the ride to Highborne Cay.
We returned to the boats to find even more vessels had crowded into the anchorage. Kaleo and another vessel were dangerously close to drifting into one another and based on the French/English screaming and cursing from the other boat’s crew, we decided to move. As a side note, all of our experiences with other cruisers have been great. The lady (using this term loosely) on this vessel, a Canadian flagged sailboat, was rude, mean and crass. We were really surprised by her attitude, not only toward us but several other boats in the anchorage.
As we moved Kaleo farther up in the anchorage, three additional boats sailed in to find a spot for the night. With these new arrivals it looked like it would be a long night of worrying about all the boats swinging. For non-cruisers: Each boat lets out a certain amount of anchor chain and each boat then swings around their anchor based on wind, current, etc. But each boat swings a little differently e.g., sailboats go first with the current while powerboats go more with the wind. And if boats are too close together, there is risk of hitting each other when the tides or wind change.
Around 11 p.m., both tide and wind changed and in fact went in opposite directions. Meaning the powerboat near us was now less then 20 feet away and we were getting closer!
Matt had to start the motor to back away from the boat. This went on for about a couple of hours until the captain of the powerboat woke up and he and Matt worked out a plan to prevent a collision in the night. But it still meant that Matt had to stay up in the cockpit all night watching the other boat in between 20 minute naps. No one said island living would be easy.
Just after first light, we pulled up anchor and got out of there, heading for Shroud Cay. On the radio that morning our buddy boats relayed similar stories of close calls and someone on watch all night. Turns out parts of paradise are getting too crowded. So, we’re moving on … to Shroud Cay.
24° 44.94 N / 76° 50.29 W
Why would anybody be so unhappy as to feel the need to scream and curse in such a beautiful place?! Anyway, the iguanas look pretty interesting (not pretty) and sounds like you’ve got this sailing thing down! =)